Taylor Swift Made Her “Blank Space” Music Video Co-Star Sean O’Pry Blush on Set

Your Twitter feed has undoubtedly been deluged today with screenshots, GIFs, and musings related to the surprising, rollicking music video for Taylor Swift’s second single, “Blank Space.” Swift’s co-star in the video is male model Sean O’Pry—who, like Swift, was born in 1989 (more on that later), and who was 2013’s highest-paid male model worldwide. While O’Pry has nabbed pretty much every campaign thinkable (currently serving as the face for Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Eau Fraiche), and you’ve no doubt flipped past his face in magazines on a weekly basis, this is, in a certain way, his debut on the grand stage (O’Pry calls it a “dream job”).

We chatted with O’Pry on the afternoon of the video’s release, and learned what it was like working with Swift, what he thinks of 1989, and what Swift did on set that made him blush.

So, how did this come about? Did Taylor’s team approach you?

I remember [my manager] called me. I think I had just left [acting] class, and she was like, “You have the option to be in a Taylor Swift music video,” and I was like, “O.K., confirm it.” She was like, “No, they have to confirm you.”

Had you met Taylor before the shoot?

No, I did not know her personally. [Wry smile] I mean, I had heard of her a few times, for sure.

What was the shoot like? Those properties looked insane.

It was upstate. It was in two different properties. They were both incredible. And I remember walking up—there was this mass of people—and it was five in the morning and I was half asleep. So we start getting ready, and the first scene is her beating up the car. That’s what we started with; that’s how me and Taylor met. It definitely—any jitters I might have had, that knocked them all away.

What was it like working with her?

She deserves to be in the place she is. The way she handles things, the way she does things . . . She’s gorgeous, obviously. And very, very talented. When you bring [director] Joseph [Kahn] into the project, it was a winning idea right off the bat with those two.

Were you a fan of her music before you got this job?

I am from Georgia, and Tim McGraw is my favorite artist. And when this little girl released “Tim McGraw,” yeah, I had teardrops on my guitar, not going to lie about that.

Have you ever had any musical aspirations of your own?

I’m really good at lip-synching. Very good at bathroom lip-synching.

That’s a good talent to have in your arsenal . . . so, this is the million-dollar question: Did you get to meet Olivia Benson?

I saw the cat. I did not get to meet the cat. I was doing something else when they were doing the cat scene.

You really missed out: that’s a famous pet. Also, that’s your name carved into the tree!

I know. That’s pretty incredible.

Was that your idea?

That definitely wasn’t my idea; I don’t think anyone would have listened to my ideas . . . I bet there’s a lot of people that don’t realize that that’s me. It’s very cool.

And was that an intentional Mean Girls reference, when you put on the shirt with the two holes in it? Was that planned?

[Laughter; expression of confusion] Everything was planned out. When I walked in, they told me they had cut out parts of my shirt. I was like, “O.K., great.” When I put it on, [just] my nipples were out. And they were like “No, [the holes] need to be bigger.”

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Did you have to do sittings for that portrait of you?

I’m not really sure how [the portraits] came about, but when I saw them, it was really funny, actually. I walk into the room and there’s this portrait of me, and I’m like, “That’s different.” And then she cut me up!

Did you get to keep it?

I didn’t get to keep it.

Was it hard keeping the secret for the two and a half months before the video came out?

I couldn’t tell anybody. It was very difficult . . . Yeah, [my friends and family] thought I was doing a job on a beautiful upstate property. My dog [knew], but I don’t think she told anybody.

Do you have the urge to do more acting?

I’m in school for acting . . . I want to be well-accepted as an actor, not just [as] a prop. I’m studying to actually have a career and longevity and not just be “that guy.” I think that’s very needed to be taken seriously. [The music video] is definitely not a step in the wrong direction. Doing this video really motivated me further.

Have you heard from Taylor today?

No, she tweeted me. I was included in a tweet. Thought that was pretty cool.

She has a lot of followers.

A lot more than me!

I noticed you were born in 1989, and Taylor seems like the type who might have thought about that.

I am born in 1989. It is [funny] . . .But I’m a bit older than her. [Her birthday is] coming up now.

Have you listened to 1989?

I downloaded it. Haven’t gotten the one from Target; I’m going to have to. The album is phenomenal. You can listen to it from the first song to the last . . . [“Blank Space”] is a great song. I remember hearing it [on set]. She got her iPhone and put the song on. By the end of the last day, I knew all the lyrics.

I’ve been thinking of it, like, “She’s clicking her pen because she’s gonna write your name down.” You know what’s fun? When you sing the “Oh my god” part.

I told you, it’s my lip-synching!

That was my co-worker’s favorite part of the video.

[Taylor] is one of the only people to ever make me blush.

How’d she make you blush?

She bit my lip. And I just remember I was really blushing, and I was trying to hide it. But that was the first thing—that was how I met Taylor . . . She did incredibly in the video. She’s gorgeous already, but she looks incredible in the video.

Did she give you a parting gift or anything like that?

A nice hug. She’s so professional. And so nice, too.

You’ll see her on her tour, probably, right?

Maybe. I don’t know.

HWD Daily

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